22Dec/080
FORENSIC EXAMINER, THE – FALSELY ACCUSED: THE CASE OF RONALD GENE TAYLOR
December 22, 2008 -- [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It is now believed that on May 28, 1993, Roosevelt Carroll--a man with a history of violent sex crimes--raped a Houston...17Dec/080
SHERMAN ISD LEVERAGES E-RATE PROGRAM TO ENHANCE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE
As one of the nation’s leading providers of communications services through the E-rate program, Verizon Business has worked with K-12 educators over the past decade to expand the availability of advanced services. E-rate, a program directed by the Federal Communications Commission, is designed to help school districts and libraries across the United States obtain affordable access to advanced telecommunications and information services, including Internet access and voice over IP. Mignon Plyler, director of technology with the Sherman Independent School District, in suburban Dallas, and Don Spaulding, an E-rate consultant with Verizon Business, discuss ways Sherman ISD is using E-rate to deliver the latest technology to the district’s students, parents and teachers.
Tags: Verizon Business, K-12, E-rate, Mignon Plyler, Don Spaulding, Sherman ISD
16Dec/080
PELLICANO GETS 15 YEARS FOR WIRETAPPING SCHEME
Hollywood private eye Anthony Pellicano was sentenced Monday to 15 years in prison for running a wiretapping scheme that spied on the rich and famous. Pellicano, who acted as his own attorney, was convicted in two separate trials earlier this year of a combined 78 counts, including wiretapping, racketeering and wire fraud. Entertainment attorney Terry Christensen was sentenced last month to three years is prison in connection with the wiretapping case.16Dec/080
PROSKAUER LOSES APPEAL IN TAX DISPUTE OVER PARTNER RETIREMENT PAYMENTS
Proskauer Rose has failed in its attempt to convince a New York state appeals court that it did not need to pay New York City's unincorporated business tax on retirement payments the firm made to its former partners. In a unanimous opinion, the court rejected the 784-lawyer firm's claim that payments to its retired partners are not subject to the unincorporated business tax because they are made for contributions to the firm's good will rather than services provided.16Dec/080
U.S. SUPREME COURT REVIVES FORMER GUANTANAMO DETAINEES’ CASE
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday revived a lawsuit filed by former detainees at Guantanamo Bay over alleged torture and the abuse of their religious rights. The justices threw out an appeals court ruling that had dismissed four British men's claims that they were beaten, threatened by dogs, shackled in painful stress positions and harassed while practicing their religion.16Dec/080
2ND CIRCUIT REQUIRES JUDICIAL REVIEW BEFORE SECURITY LETTER GAG ORDER
A federal appeals court has ruled that the FBI will be able to enforce gag orders on telephone companies and Internet service providers on which it has served national security letters, but only if the bureau itself first seeks judicial review. The 2nd Circuit found that provisions in the Patriot Act concerning the letters run afoul of the First Amendment, but it construed the law in a way that allows the FBI to prevent phone companies and Internet providers from revealing that they have received the letters.16Dec/080
SIEMENS TO PAY $1.3 BILLION IN BRIBERY SETTLEMENT
Siemens AG, rocked by corruption cases that have cost the company both prestige and money, agreed Monday to pay more than $1 billion in fines in Germany and the United States. Under the terms in the U.S., Siemens and three of its international subsidiaries will pay approximately $450 million to the Justice Department to settle charges of making bribes and trying to falsify corporate books from 2001 to 2007. It will pay another $350 million to settle charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission.16Dec/080
DESPITE DISCIPLINE PANEL’S HARSH WORDS, FEDERAL JUDGE BEATS THE RAP
Judges on a federal discipline panel have vindicated Judge Manuel Real, but they did so through clenched teeth. The Judicial Council of the 9th Circuit dismissed two misconduct complaints accusing Real of failing to state the reasons for his rulings, finding that the judge's conduct didn't meet a standard requiring "clear and convincing evidence of a judge's arbitrary and intentional departure from prevailing law." Still, the Judicial Council had words for Real.16Dec/080
NEW TRIAL ORDERED IN FORD SUV ROLLOVER CASE
An appeals court has reinstated a claim that a design defect caused a 2000 Ford Explorer SUV to roll over and crash, seriously injuring the driver. Ford had won a "no cause" verdict from a New Jersey jury after the company presented evidence that the driver caused the accident. But the appeals court ordered a retrial last week because the trial judge failed to inform the jury that evidence of the driver's alleged negligence was irrelevant to the threshold issue in the case: Was the vehicle's design defective?16Dec/080
